MDM wrote:
Given the bloodbath that has been brick and mortar retail these last years, who knows if the mall be even financially viable in the near future.

What happens if/when Sears and JC Penny close up?

nafco wrote:
Thats a cool shot. Amazing how much has changed in a short time. I understand why the mall was a good idea at the time, but I think it served its purpose and its time to slowly reincorporate that swath of land back to the city the way the BJ's/Pep Boys site will slowly be turned back into a city grid over time.

MDM wrote:
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brewster wrote:
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nafco wrote:
What I wish would be demolished is the awful suburban-style Newport mall thats an eyesore, divides downtown and takes up a huge swath of valuable land.

I wouldn't hold your breath! I bet the operator has like a 50 year lease. I guess people go there, though I can easily go a year without setting foot in it. Especially since the Cajun place in the food court went.

When the mall first opened (1989 if I recall correctly), with the exception of a couple of new high rise buildings, Newport was still rotting piers and moonscape with an adjacent neighborhood that was in poor shape. There was nothing nice around the area. You couldn't even drive to downtown because Washington St. terminated in the Waldo area. The road was blocked by a huge mound of dirt that used to be an elevated freight rail line.

The Newport PATH station was a disaster area, as it had been mostly abandoned since the Erie railroad station was torn down in the 1950s. I remember walking over sheets of plywood with mini rivers of water running under the sheets when exiting the station. The light rail was barely in the planning stages.

So I can see why the builder made it like a suburban mall. At the time, they expected people to drive there and take advantage of the 3% sales tax rate... which is what happened. NYC sent agents to the mall at one point, placing "reminders" on cars with NY license plates that anything purchases in NJ would require the payment of NY use tax.

I also miss the Cajun food place. That was my favorite food stop in the mall. I went to the mall a lot less when it left.

Newport circa 1987:

brewster wrote:
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nafco wrote:
What I wish would be demolished is the awful suburban-style Newport mall thats an eyesore, divides downtown and takes up a huge swath of valuable land.

I wouldn't hold your breath! I bet the operator has like a 50 year lease. I guess people go there, though I can easily go a year without setting foot in it. Especially since the Cajun place in the food court went.

nafco wrote:
What I wish would be demolished is the awful suburban-style Newport mall thats an eyesore, divides downtown and takes up a huge swath of valuable land.

brewster wrote:
Kmart + NDW is a whole lot of space available. They should move the Target there, where it is Downtown is a remarkably poor use of extremely valuable real estate. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised to see a Walmart, they seem to feel there's no such thing as building them too close.

135jc wrote:
Too bad. Might take a while for something else to move in. As far as I know nothing is happening yet with the kmart space. Pentland is also closing if not closed already.